June 14, 2007

Law school is bad for your health

Law School Innovation blog alerts to this new study that attempts to explain the negative effects of legal education on law students. Kennon M. Sheldon and Lawrence S. Krieger report in "Understanding the Negative Effects of Legal Education on Law Students: A Longitudinal Test of Self-Determination Theory" on the previous findings suggesting that “law school has a corrosive effect on the well-being, values, and motivation of students, ostensibly because of its problematic institutional culture.” It sounds like the psychological distress frequently experienced by lawyers in practice may originate in law school. Interestingly, this new study shows that student autonomy may lead to better well-being in the 3rd year, better grades, better bar exam results and more motivation on the job. All the more reasons to be proactive and take control of your learning.